Spaghetti Carbonara

Yield
3
Cooking Time
25 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 lb spaghetti
  • 3 strips bacon
  • 2 large eggs
  • 2 yolks at room temperature
  • 1/2 C grated Parmesan
  • 1/2 tsp Coarsely ground black pepper
  • 3 1/2 guanciale (optional)

Instructions

  1. Place a large pot of heavily salted water over high heat, and bring to a boil. Add pasta to the water and boil until a bit firmer than al dente. Reserving 1 cup of pasta water, drain pasta.
  2. Meanwhile, heat oil in a large skillet over medium-low heat, add the chopped bacon (or guanciale or pancetta, depending on what you have), and sauté until the fat just renders, on the edge of crispness but not hard. If there's too much grease, use a paper towel to blot up some of the fat. But leave as much as you can.
  3. Turn off the burner and set a timer for 5 minutes. Add drained pasta to the meat skillet and stir for a couple minutes.
  4. In a mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, yolks and grated cheese. Add some fresh pepper.
  5. If the timer has gone off, then the pan should have cooled enough to add the sauce. The important thing is that the pan is not too hot. Pour the egg mixture onto the pasta and stir. If it looks too thick, add some of the reserved pasta water. Taste before adding salt. Serve immediately, dressing it with a bit of additional grated parmesan and pepper.